Eurostar, the official int'l rail provider of London 2012, announced details of two major partnerships with the Belgian and French National Paralympic Committee to carry athletes from both nations to and from the Games. The high-speed rail operator's fleet engineering team are working on a project at its depot in Stratford to create trains with full accessibility. Two Eurostar trains will undergo a "series of unique modifications designed to accommodate the requirements of the teams" (INSIDEWORLDPARASPORT.biz, 6/19).
SOCHI COMES TO LONDON: Russia. Sochi. Park. in London’s Kensington Gardens will be the biggest Russian event ever to be held in the U.K. Included will be Russia Park and Sochi Park -- two sites that will operate between July 26-Aug.12. Russia Park will be a summer festival-style park, spread over a 10,000 square meter area in Perks Field. It will be packed with Russian culture, cuisine and sports, including cameos by some of Russia's leading Olympians and performances by folk artists from all the regions of Russia. Sochi Park will be a "winter wonderland" in the middle of a London summer, providing a visitor experience that takes guests through Russia to Sochi, the next Olympic host city, via interactive digital experiences including a 4D chairlift ride up the Krasnodar mountains (Sochi 2014).
AN OLYMPICS WELCOME: Giant Olympic rings have been mounted at Heathrow, the host airport of the Games, to help provide a spectacular visual welcome to athletes and visitors during London 2012. The aluminum rings, which measure 12 metres in width, have been installed in terminal 5 int'l arrivals and will be seen by at least 2 million passengers travelling through Heathrow (London 2012).
